Holding Tight
by Bottled.Stardust
Summary: Based on the clip of Clara and the Doctor hugging in the TARDIS from the 50th anniversary trailer. One-shot. [Whouffle]


Clara gripped the cold metal railings, her hair hanging down over her face, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her legs were still shaking from running, and from the fright of it all. She had thought they were going to die.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Doctor, his hands braced against the console board and his chest heaving with every gasp for air. It was thanks to him that she was alive, really. She'd seen some terrifying things with him before, but she got the feeling that even the Doctor had never experienced something quite as dangerous as the situation they had just gotten out of. Clara had frozen up in the face of peril, and she didn't even want to imagine what might have happened if the Doctor hadn't grabbed her hand and yanked her towards the TARDIS.

They'd hit the doors running and slammed them shut behind them, and then collapsed on the nearest surfaces to recover their breath. As Clara's hands stopped trembling and the feeling returned to her white fingers, she unclenched her grip a little and glanced over at the Doctor. When he noticed her moving, he looked up and let out a heavy breath, taking his weight off the console and straightening up. They stood there for several seconds, their breathing still labored and their legs still like jelly. He met her eyes and opened his mouth as if to say something, then suddenly dissolved into laughter.

Clara felt it, too—the overwhelming feeling of euphoria at having survived. She burst into giggles and flung herself forward into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugged her around the middle and she felt herself lifted into the air and spun around, their shouts of joy echoing as they twirled. Their laughter rang through the TARDIS, and even when he stopped spinning her and set her down, they were still laughing. She could feel his hands against the small of her back, and she kept her arms around his neck, and she could feel his shoulders shaking with mirth that tingled in her fingertips and spread up her arms and kept her laughing right alongside with him. She felt absolutely over the moon with happiness, like she would never stop smiling even though they had almost just died and there was a very high chance they would almost die several times more before this all was over. But Clara didn't care. She was safe, and he was safe, and that filled her with a feeling of exultation.

The world was all blurry after that, because she was dizzy and lightheaded from all the spinning, but she could feel her toes just barely touching the Doctor's and then suddenly her feet weren't even on the ground anymore and he kissed her, or maybe she kissed him or maybe they both kissed each other but it didn't matter. For that one moment, everything felt clear, like there had been a fog over her mind that had finally lifted. She was hyperaware of everything around her, and the way the kiss felt soft and warm and just _right._ Their laughter had stopped ringing through the console room, and with the kiss reality seeped back in through the cracks, slow and golden and maybe not as wonderful as they'd thought a few moments ago.

The Doctor set her back on the ground and relaxed against her, hugging her tightly, and Clara buried her face in his shirt. Now that the euphoria had faded, her legs were shaking again, and she could feel him trembling, too. The one, simple kiss had put everything into focus, and all of a sudden Clara felt the entire weight of the situation they'd just gotten out of pressing down on her shoulders, and it was heavy.

She let out a choked sob against the Doctor's coat, and she felt his hands curl protectively around her and felt his head against hers. "I thought you were going to die," He whispered, his voice breaking. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"I'm still here," Clara mumbled into his jacket. "I'm not going anywhere, ever. I promise."

He hugged her tightly and they stood there in silence for a while, not speaking, not moving, their breaths slowly steadying and their heartbeats softening from the hammering cacophony of a few minutes ago. Clara wasn't sure how long they stood like that, but she tried to convince herself that maybe time didn't pass in the TARDIS. Maybe they could just stand like that forever. If one moment had to extend into infinity like that, she hoped it would at least be one that mattered, and as she stood curled against the Doctor's chest, listening to the four-beat rhythm of his hearts, she couldn't imagine anything more important in the whole universe.


End file.
